Ambitious New Cycling Club in my Backyard

Okay, I've found the token Mountain Biking Club to add to the Ca. Club List. ;-D

The 3F Bicycling Club, is a new club, based a few miles from me, here in Santa Ana Ca. and has launched a new website.

They aim to be a meeting place for riders all over the US, and the website features many useful tools, links, and resources, many of which I'd recommend to road cyclists, and commuters, like myself, such as directories of bicycling clubs, bike shops, current cylcing news, current events, and BMI and calorie counters, and a slew of exercise, and fitness articles, and links.

You can even shop online by browsing through an online catalog of bike parts.

This new club opened up its website last February after much planning.

The Official Press Release says:

Club founder, Mark Warrick, an avid mountain biker who has been riding his entire life, spent over a year planning the website and making sure he had a first-hand account of all the best mountain biking trails in Orange County.

"In August, 2004 I purchased a book written by Randy Vogel and Larry Kuechlin, 'Mountain Biking Orange County California' (ISBN: 1575400111) which is considered around here to be the ultimate mountain biking guide printed. I set a goal for myself to ride every trail in the book. A year and a half later, I can say now that I've ridden all but the hardest trails several times. (The hardest trails traverse the entire Santa Ana Mountain Range.)", says Mark Warrick.

The 3F Bicycling Club was formed to fill a gap between beginner riders and experts. Their policy of "Nobody Gets Left Behind" is one that many beginner and intermediate mountain bikers can certainly appreciate.

"The three basic philosophies of the 3F are fitness, fun and most importantly, friendship", says Mark Warrick. "If you're left behind to fend for yourself every time you go out with a group of riders, you're going to feel completely unmotivated and ultimately you'll stop riding. A senior member of the 3F will always ride with the last person in line to make sure that never happens on our rides."

The 3F Bicycling Club encourages volunteerism. Many of the members of the club are docent volunteers for the Nature Conservancy and the Irvine Opens Space Preserve.

Press Release is here.

Things I liked about the site:

They also link to the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve.

The Calendar of Events, which even, in some cases, includes photos from along the route so you know what you are getting yer sorry, out of shape, behind into if you decide to go. ;-D

The Cycling related news feed are many, and informative.

There are forums, and chat rooms, and a tie-in the MySpace.

The wonderful clickable Map of the USA that allows you to find clubs of all types all across the country.

There  is a similar map with a tie-in to Trails.com, and its trail map resources.

There is a wonderful Photo Gallery of 27 rides that will tempt you to either try Mtn. Biking, or go for hikes.

This place has just so much to offer cyclists, and hikers, especially those of us in the OC, that I felt it is a worthy addition to the sidebar.

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